Anecdotes of one Hawaii-girl's fury, humor and warmth in a cold cold world

Thursday, February 17, 2011

How to (SUCCESSFULLY) Build a Blog Social Circle

So I have been on Blogger for about a month, and my only follower is my friend and neighbor, Pants. Because she's also thinking of starting a blog. And that is the only reason.

Issue:
I'd been sort of Rouletting myself at the Blogosphere, by hitting the "Next Blog" link in the top bar. I saw hundreds if not thousands of blogs, and noticed a bit of a theme...there seem to be only 5 types of blogs around in this post-fad blog-community; career politicos, new parents/newlyweds and homemakers, crafty/fashionistas, Malaysians, and promotional event blogs.

Parodies of actual header art; and yet still technically mine, all mine. No suing or flaming!

The homemaker/stay-at-home-parents are sickeningly saccharine, with unremarkable pictures of unremarkable babies, or beautifully custom-designed shrines to them and their significant others.

The only thing wrong with the Malaysian blogs is I don't know Malay. Everything else about their blogs looks cool and groovy, but unfortunately I have no idea what they're saying.

And the fashionistas: just no. I have my own very individualized sense of fashion -- in that I like very tacky, kitschy stuff and am too stubborn to be persuaded out of it -- and therefore do not get much out of their efforts. My idea of crafts is to cut apart a t-shirt and then thread it back together with ribbon. Anything that involves crochet or scrapbook paper is above my paygrade/attention span.

Kana in her aspect as a looming mouthbreather. Ph34r...

I look up to my idols, the rockstars of the Blogosphere; Allie, other Ali, David, Mike. They are all viral superstars and not potential blogpeers in any way. I am the dirt in between their keyboard keys. They are so popular there's no room to even follow their feeds, and I still haven't managed to have followers that don't hang out in my living room.

And then. Inspiration. The turn of the tide: I will blogstalk the people cool enough to be allowed to follow my idols. Because they are just folk. Ah-HA! But they are folk who were cool enough to find the awesome blogs before they became viral. And maybe...someday...I will be their peers.

::UPDATE::
As of 3/17/11 I have a follower who isn't a personal friend. This is almost like having a blog!

::UPDATE:: As of 4/4/11 I have been blogrolled 3 times. And yet only have the same amount of "followers". And only one non-friend follower.